The Kingdom of Ostmere
Ostmere was previously the northern half of the Kynacia province under the rule of the Old Imperium, centuries ago during the Time of the Imperium. After the Old Imperium fell, many refugees and new settlers traveled to Kynacia, where the majority of the local lords and clan chiefs united under the banner of the Gryphon King, and thus founded the Kingdom of Ostmere. Eventually disputes and cultural discontent between the southern lords and the northern clan chiefs saw the kingdom break in half. Ostmere remained in the north, and Redwain was founded in the south. The clans of the northern Vardenfels mountains stayed loyal to the Gryphon Banner, and have done so ever since the kingdom split into two. Most of the clans rule Ostmere's northern territories whilst the more civilized folk of the nation remain in the kingdom's southern territories. There is a clear divide in culture between the north and the south, though both depend on each other for the rich mineral yields of the north, and the agricultural gains of the south. In a way the two balance out between the, what some would say, savage traditions of the northern clans and the more refined, civilized manners of the southern people. Ostmere is perhaps the only nation in Avanor to have such a large population of dwarves and half-folk, much because of its adjacency to the Vardenfels and its neighbor to the east; the half-folken nation of Luthrern Vosh. Also, unlike the other nations in Avanor, Ostmere is far more welcoming to its non-human inhabitants, and is one of few human-controlled nations to have mostly equal rights for all races. There is little to no racial discrimination in Ostmere, and the majority of the humans in the nation enjoy the company of the often cheerful halflings and the craftsmanship of the dwarves. However, the elven people (a majority of which are of Ashlem descent) of the Dalnland minor-region have been known to be mostly hostile towards outsiders, even against those of their own kin, and thus peace between the rest of Ostmere and the elves of Dalnland has been very fragile at best. Most of Ostmere's north consists of rugged, far-stretching territories of rock and highland; where the majority of the clansfolk reside. Southern Ostmere is more hospitable, but is still susceptible to harsh winters. Additionally, Ostmere is home to many foul beasts, creatures and monstrosities that roam the land in search of prey. Werewolves, wyverns, wild goblins, harpies, dire wolves and many more beings of ill intent infest the nation's forests and high crags. As such the people of Ostmere are a hardy folk who do whatever they must to survive a land that intends to truly kill them. Because of the high population of monsters, many monster hunters come to Ostmere in search of fame and coin. But even so, Ostmere is most known for being the home of the Dragonslayer Guilds. Not too long ago, Ostmere's northern territories were plagued by the occasional dragons that came down from the Vardenfels, which spurred the founding of the Dragonslayer Guilds. These dragonslayers hunted down the dragons and eventually rallied the people of Ostmere to take up arms against the Shaikharin; an order of men and women who had supposedly allied themselves with the dragons and mixed their own blood with that of dragons. Under the leadership of the Dragonslayer Guilds, an army of Ostmerian soldiers and dragonslayers marched against the Shaikharin home of Drakenborg in the Vardenfels, and slew the Shaikharin and their dragon allies. Today Drakenborg, albeit mostly ruined, is under the ownership of the Dragonslayer Guilds, who use it as their main headquarters for hunting any dragons that still remain in the Vardenfels. Ostmerians are proud of their dragonslayers and profess to the world that Ostmerians are skilled in the arts of hunting and slaying dragons. The kingdom is home to more than just monsters, foul beasts and dragons. Ostmere's wilds and mountains are the nesting grounds of gryphons, and although gryphons are very territorial and dangerous, Ostmerians revere them with respect, and have done so ever since the Gryphon King united the kingdom on the back of a gryphon. As such Ostmere's crest is that of a royal gryphon, to commemorate and honour the memory of the Gryphon King, despite the fact that no one knows what his true name was. Ostmere's general economy depends on the mineral yield of the northern territories and the trade with Luthrern Vosh and the dwarven Under-kingdoms. Most of Ostmere's soil is too hard or too cold to farm properly, and thus, despite some agricultural richness in its southern territories, Ostmere depends on trade to feed its people. Luckily, because of the rich mines of the north that provide a steady stream of iron, silver and gold, Ostmere can afford to import large amounts of grain, as well as equip its military with proper armour and weapons. Ever since Redwain split away from Ostmere, the two nations have been against each others' throats in war several times. As such Ostmere hosts a formidable and well-equipped military, strengthened further by the strong craftsmanship of their dwarven inhabitants and the irregular clansfolk warriors who take part in the Ostmerian Army's Northern Battalion. Additionally, Ostmere holds a small, yet powerful navy; considered to be one of the best in the world due to the gnomish modifications given to Ostmerian ships. However, there are only a few ships in the Ostmerian navy that possess these modifications, and are thus considered to be very valuable to the overall strength of the navy. Otherwise Ostmere's navy is fairly small in size. Many of the wars between Ostmere and Redwain have been mostly due to territorial disputes as there is still a fair bit of argument as to who owns the territories along the two nations' borders. Very recently, Ostmere and Redwain might yet again go to war against each other following what was known as the Norrmark Massacre. In the Redwani minor-region of Norrmark, hundreds of inhabitants (most of which were orcs) were killed during local conflicts and revolts of unknown origin, and soldiers of both Redwani and Ostmerian origin converged on the territory to confine the situation and enforce order. Instead the two sides met and engaged in battle, leaving several hundred more dead. Ostmere and Redwain have since the Norrmark Massacre been preparing for what would most likely be inevitable war.